Vintage Trains - First trips with Clun Castle

This email from Ben Mason at Vintage Trains today:

Announcing the First Mainline Passenger Trains with No: 7029 'Clun Castle'

Dear Mr Peter Hewitt,
Vintage Trains is pleased to announce that we will soon publish and start accepting bookings for our 2019 railtour programme, including the much anticipated first public passenger runs for No: 7029 ‘Clun Castle’.
As shareholders in Vintage Trains CBS, we wish to invite you to travel with us and other CBS shareholders on either of the two preview Dining Trains behind ‘Clun’; the first time passengers have ridden behind Clun since its overhaul. For convenience we are offering you a choice of two dates; departing Birmingham Moor Street on Thursdays 28th February or 7th March
You will be greeted on the station platform with a glass of champagne and canapes from 17:30 (time to be confirmed), before settling into your seats to enjoy the approximately 3 ½ hour round-trip to Worcester.
Premier Dining Passengers will be treated to a luxurious 4-course meal with silver service at your table. An excellent selection of wines and other beverages will be available for purchase onboard.
Standard Class passengers will be seated at tables for 4 and have access to the buffet serving tea & coffee, sandwiches and scones with jam and clotted cream.
We hope you will join us. To book your seat(s) please select the relevant button below, email Tickets@VintageTrains.co.uk or telephone 0121 708 4960identifying which date you wish to travel, the number of seats and either Premier or Standard Classes. Please also include any dietary or mobility requirements.
Pricing for these exclusive invitation only dining trains is:

• Premier Dining: £180 per person
• Table for 2 supplement: £20 per person
• Standard Class: £90 per person

We thank you for your patience and understanding. We look forward to welcoming you as one of the first to travel behind Clun Castle on the mainline.
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Time for those who haven't yet bought their shares to sign up! This month Bahamas, next month Clun Castle!! Wow!!

Peter on a sunny but crisp Manchester afternoon
https://pjhtransportpix.zenfolio.com

 

Iv had that email too as im a shareholder myself, but I think these trips might only be for shareholders.

 

So, step 1, buy some shares. Step 2, book a ticket!

Peter in Manchester

 

Always thought there's a market for a train going the other way from Brum, to Worcster I'm sure if a little chat was had with the SVR could be a tie up to do something going to Bridgenorth changing at Kidderminster?

 

Why? If I've paid X amount for a mainline trip, I don't want to then poodle about on a preserved line at slower speeds nor have the hassle of having to change trains. Might as well just catch the local unit, and pay the £22 on the gate.

I've heard mutterings of this evening TYS - Worcester trip, intrigued to see how frequent it is offered. 2019 potentially a big year for VT, been looking forward to their tour programme to see what is on offer. Though the Pannier pair are no longer both in ticket, so got a while to wait for them sadly.

 

9600 is out of ticket but 7752 still has a valid boiler ticket for another 2 years I believe.

 

So not anyone at random can book on these 1st 2 trips on 7029, unless they are shareholders. I've tried to look on vintage trains website about online bookings for the trips to Worcester so it can be done by telephone but for instance I would have to be a shareholder 1st. But I thought with any main line tours the fare paid contributes toward its engines next overhaul say like I booked on Tornado trips a few times and the A1 steam trust sent me letters asking if I would like to be a member or a covenantor of Tornado. I reckon that means contributor or a contributor to the P2 new build. Is this the same with vintage join the club and donate so much a month and I'm able to travel on their tours?

 

There is gonna be public run tours but these first two are expected to be for shareholders before the public dining trains and daytrips start as it seems only fair that shareholders get the opportunity first as some people will have forked out hundreds if not thousands to fund the company and become shareholders. Even for myself it wasnt cheap becoming one, and I only managed to become one as Id cut back on tour bookings for 2017.

It does seem only fair that shareholders get the opportunity to travel on VT's trains first before the public ones start running. With the santa specials those were an acception as they were run purely for kids. Aswell as these first two trips being possibly for shareholders only the same rule is gonna be applied for the double headed castle trains, 2020 the earliest the first one happens as 5043's out of ticket (the first one or two will be for shareholders and then they will go for public sale). This later option I believe isnt available for new shareholders now as it's changed over to be the first trains worked by 7029 Clun Castle & 71000 Duke of Gloucester, there will be a third engine but the identity of which is yet to be confirmed and NO I dont know what it will be before people ask.

 

Definatly well deserved to the shareholders who have got vintage trains on its feet a credit to em all so they deserve the 1st bite of the cherry to ride behind 7029. I did the polar express mysen in november my 1st trip on a mainline G.W.R. loco i enjoyed and if the opportunity comes up to go on the shakespeare express i most certainly would go on it if i cud get to brum moor st from leeds. Davo56F

 

All saying is I'm a little suprised Vintage Trains haven't done somthing going the other way from Brum to Worcster or Hereford? and an option to change at Kiddy for the SVR for Bewdley or Bridgnorth. I must say this is something that's a bit WIBN, but thinking about how many grockles you see out and about in Bewdley on a Summer Sunday, it must be worth a thought?

 

I must agree with you there Davo as had it not been for people like myself and countless others who gave money to the business then it may not have even become a reality as they needed £800,000 to get it off the starting point, so it does certainly seem only fair that shareholders get the opportunity first as they're the ones who helped Vintage Trains set up their new TOC by giving them countless amounts of their own money. I may even be looking at extending my shares in the company when iv got enough cash spare. Im looking at going on one of the two and if I do it will most likely be the 2nd of the two trips as iv already got 3 on the books for this month, (Feb 2nd's WCME with Mayflower and BIL & then there's last weekend's debut run with Bahamas).

Im certainly looking forward to what else VT are gonna have planned for the 2019 season and cant wait to have more chats with both Michael Whitehouse & Ben Mason. I think im also the youngest shareholder in the company at only 25yo.

 

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Hate to say your wrong but... My 18month old neice has a shareholding in VT, she also has a nice little stake in various EE type 4's and Type 1's,

 

18 Months old, that's a bit young to be a shareholder in a business.

 

Worcester-Malvern-Hereford is a lovely line, with GWR Lower quadrant semaphores all the way from Shrub Hill to Malvern Wells, lovely scenery and a fierce 1 in 80 climb up to Colwall Tunnel BUT (and it's a big but, sadly), there's a very tight platform clearance, I think at Malvern Link which sadly rules out Tyseley's Castles. When RTC ran a couple of trips over this route in 2013 and 2014, Tangmere worked the first and Braunton the second (Which I was on).

I guess a pannier would fit, but a run all the way to Hereford may be a bit far. I do agree, however, that were it not for the gauging issue, Hereford via Worcester and Malvern would be a most attractive destination for VT.

 

hello
am i missing something 3 1/2 hours for £360 in the dark !!
if it was back up licky in the light maybe

 

How gauge friendly is a jubilee then? If there's a problem gauging then that explains it, such a shame though as Hereford and Worcester are both attractive destinations, as I also mentioned Bewdley's not a bad destination to consider too. Maybe something to file in the 'Wouldn't it be nice file'

 

The last steam on the Hereford to Worcester line was RTCs Welsh Marches Express from Birmingham International to Cardiff on 27/11/2016. Hauled by double-headed Black 5s, about the only locos that are guage-cleard for that line. The late Nigel Dobbings (meltonnorth) even commented here saying that the trip had been a logistical nightmare to organise due to the guaging, single line stretches and lack of drivers with route knowledge, and that RTC would never run trips on that line again.

 

HR are reporting that WCR will be running Stratford Upon Avon charters from Burton on summer Sundays. Five trips are reported starting from July 28 with the last trip on September 22nd ! So, no Vintage Train Shakespeare's or are they planning to run on Saturday's ?